Reputable shop to rebuild L-series engine in the Bay Area?

[theguppies]

from what i heard, rob fuller from zcg doesn't rebuild engine in house. he sends them out to someone else and get it done there.

Rebello gets my pick. at least he's not a jerk like *ahem*

[70 Cam Guy]

If you don't go Rebello, there's always http://performanceoptions.net/

[RIP260Z]

Rebello get my vote, they done my engine. Very helpful, and have a very good reputation.

[Jetaway]

Sorta jumping in here.

Some people find my writing style annoying. Hell, I find it annoying sometimes as well. So they stop reading. If you find yourself annoyed, but would like to contribute, scroll to the bottom where I have a very brief summary.

I hope to have the scratch to have my engine rebuilt by the end of August / early September. It's a 1972 240Z that had so many mods when bought (cross-drilled and, grooved in the front rotors, a 5-spd tranny and electronic ignition from, I believe a 280ZX, redone but not stock interior) that it won't be entering a concours anytime soon. It's engine does, however, match the chassis and I want to keep them together.

The mileage is a bit north of 200,000 and have no reason to suspect that the engine has any less. Compression runs a trifle low, but is consistent across the cylinders, doesn't smoke regularly but will go through a quart of 10-30 in 400 miles in the summer, putting in 10-50 put a stop to that nonsense. Spark plugs generally are good now that I have about 1 and 1/2 clues about adjusting the carbs. But I replace the spark plugs roughly every 3000 -- 4000 miles just for the heck of it anyway. Strictly by eye the cam has some noticeable discoloration / not a uniform appearance that I can't feel but I suspect .001 inch is well beyond my ability to detect by touch anyway. Within the last 2000 -- 3000 miles a "knock," sometimes louder, sometimes softer and related directly to engine speed has developed. I've heard it before in other cars I've owned, a mechanic friend of mine suspects -- hell, I' forgot what he said -- I think he said it sounded like a connecting rod getting a bit loose and that it probably could go on another 30,000 miles w/o great concern. In short, its tired.

Given the tremendous increase in horsepower across the board, but especially at the lower end of the market during the last ten years (and hooray for that, I say) I feel that to be right with the world, and to uphold the traditions of the original 240Z owners, and to be true to the 240Z itself, a few more than the stock 150 horses is justified.

240 horses would nice, but I think I could live with a solid 200 give or take, more give, I guess, than take. Is that realistic: 1) without increasing the displacement; 2) keeping my present externals (i.e., exhaust, carbs, and ignition) but; 3) internal modifications (cam, porting, other?)? Of some importance is cost -- getting an extra 50 horses, I'm confident of swinging, but at some point the $ per power gain increment will bend towards the vertical.

Although I haven't called for an estimate yet, I admit the Rebello 2.7 "Purist" rebuild interests me. Claims 240 HP using the original engine, though obviously bored and stroked. A concern I have is the durability of the rebuilt engine. The thrill of leaving engine or driveline parts on the ground hole-shotting off the line is well in my past, I'm afraid, and in normal day-to-day driving I'm probably guilty of upshifting too soon. Still -- that developing gap your eyeing on the climbing S-curves at the end of the straight off the Sunol UH-UH, that's mine, buddy, that's mine. And as I often find myself screaming (to no avail) at M/B AMG drivers "That pedal on the right -- push it down -- its OK to clear out. Idiots!" Since Rebello is mainly known for racing motors, which are rebuilt on a regular basis, is it realistic of me to expect 100,000 miles out of Rebello?

Is turbocharging a realistic alternative to a semi-race motor? I've read that the best time to add a turbo is when the engine is new, or, as in the case, rebuilt. 15 lbs should produce close to 300 HP (based on doubling of atmospheric pressure), drop that to 10lbs, low to mid 200's? Is it cost-effective to turbo for a relatively mild power increase or does it only make sense for all-out street / drag monsters?

240 horses would nice, but I think I could live with a solid 200 give or take, more give, I guess, than take. Is that realistic: 1) without increasing the displacement; 2) keeping my present externals (i.e., exhaust, carbs, and ignition) but; 3) internal modifications (cam, porting, other?)? Of some importance is cost -- getting an extra 50 horses, I'm confident of swinging, but at some point the $ per power gain increment will bend towards the vertical.

I live in the Central Valley, work in San Jose. So, I guess I'm lucky in that none of the garages recommended in this string really seem that far away. Forty-five miles north of Sac-Town? Hell, I'm barely conscious the first 30 miles of my commute (kidding -- kinda).

Summary:

No engine swap -- stay with installed engine.

Nothing "wrong" with the engine, just tired.

More power than stock, please.

I'm a gentle driver -- most of the time. And always courteous. Really. You want over? Just signal, that's all I ask.

At what point does the cost per additional unit gain in output head north?

Want to get 100,000+ miles out of the rebuild.

Huge possible service area.

Thanks for reading!

Chris

[yetterben]

Although I haven't called for an estimate yet, I admit the Rebello 2.7 "Purist" rebuild interests me. Claims 240 HP using the original engine, though obviously bored and stroked.

I call B.S on that claim. I know people who spend months tuning in triples to gt that power on his 3litre+ engine. The stroker not a option......6 grand for 50hp please.:sick:

[Oiluj]

The dyno sheet on my Rebello 2.7 upgrade w/ stock carbs, std exhasut manifold and upgraded head/cam combo shows peaks at 212 HP @ 197 ft-lbs torque. Torque peaks at about 210, but not at max HP. The car really performs much better than she did with the stock engine.

Given these numbers, I'd guess that 240 hp w/ headers & triples is a reasonable expectation. You'd also need to upgrade the fuel system to provide enough fuel.

I'm not at all worried about longevity of the block, pistons & rods. The cam & valve train components will not last as long as a stock head, but they should go 100K as long as I don't get stupid and push the engine beyond it's limits.

A couple of things to consider:

With the increased compression and the head work, I no longer have that silky-smooth idle for which the the L-series is famous. No major lope, just a bit rough with a very nice, throaty "thump" in the exhaust note at idle... My only complaint is that to avoid pinging, I had to retard the timing a bit more than I like and also need to blend -in some race fuel or add octane boosters.

[yetterben]

What rpm is this happening at 6,200? reason asking is Zredbarron i think is at 290 on race gas and webers.

[Oiluj]

Max HP is between 5600 to 5800 rpm. See link below to earlier post with my dyno sheet.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32222&highlight=rebello

[Jetaway]

Thanks for the info on the Rebello build.

Chris